Pair of Australian Companies Fined Following Worker Injuries

Two companies have been fined a total of $155,000 after a worker in Western Sydney was blinded and left with multiple facial and skull fractures when a high-pressure gas hose fitting came loose, according to a report from the New South Wales Government.

 

 

Weldlok operates a large welding and fabrication facility in Yagoona, and Fluid Tech Hydraulics Pty Ltd is based in Lidcombe and does onsite installation and maintenance of fluid gas equipment as well as welding and fabrication. Oct. 13, 2006, 63-year-old shift supervisor Hasib Kamenjasevic was switching over the gas lines from the empty to full high pressure oxygen tanks. An explosion occurred within the hose and fittings connected to the high pressure oxygen tanks. The hoses broke away from the tanks and struck him with considerable force on the face and head. (WCxKit)

 

 

Kamenjasevic sustained significant injuries to his head and face, which resulted in the loss of sight in both eyes, and multiple skull and facial fractures. He also spent months in rehabilitation and his permanent injuries mean he will never be able to return to work. The WorkCover investigation found that both companies had failed to carry out appropriate safety protocols that would most likely have prevented these serious injuries.

 

 

The NSW Industrial Court was told that approximately six months earlier, Kamenjasevic’s employer Weldlok, contracted Fluid Tech to install the high-pressure oxygen line with hose and fittings. The investigation found that Fluid Tech installed a hose designed primarily for hydraulics, and not designed for use with high-pressure oxygen.

 

 

Fluid Tech did not ensure the hose and its fitting was certified for use with high pressure oxygen, nor did they carry out any safety tests on the hose or its fittings to ensure they were safe for use prior to, during or after the installation. Weldlok had also failed to carry out their own risk assessment which the court found would most likely have discovered the incorrect hose and fittings. (WCxKit)

 

 

Fluid Tech Hydraulics Pty., Ltd., and Weldlok were charged with breaches of the Occupational Health & Safety Act 2000. Fluid Tech Hydraulics was fined $95,000 and Weldlok fined $60,000.